EDP Renewables North America, Salt River Project and Meta today unveiled the 200 MW Brittlebush Solar Farm located near the town of Coolidge, Arizona.
“Arizona’s progressive policies and welcoming business climate for innovative technologies that prioritize sustainability make it a perfect location to generate solar energy,” said Sandhya Ganapathy, CEO of EDP Renewables North America. “We are proud of the partnership with Salt River Project and Meta that has resulted in carbon emissions reductions, local economic benefits and diversification of Arizona’s energy portfolio. This is something every Arizonan can get behind.”
Brittlebush supports SRP’s commitment to responsibly decarbonize its energy generation portfolio while providing affordable and reliable energy to one of the fastest growing areas in the country.
“SRP is proud to partner with EDPR NA to bring more clean energy to Arizona and support Meta’s sustainable energy goals,” said Bobby Olsen, chief strategy and sustainability planning officer at SRP. “This project will also bring us closer to achieving our own goal of reducing emissions by 82% by 2035, while providing affordable and reliable power to our customers.”
The total capacity of the project will be devoted to supporting Metas data center in Mesa, Ariz. Brittlebush represents the third renewable energy partnership between EDPR NA and Meta. Meta will also receive capacity from two other SRP sources, the 100 MW West Line Solar Facility and the 300 MW solar + battery Eleven Mile Facility. Each of these projects will further enable Meta to achieve its 100% sustainable and net-zero targets.
Brittlebush will support the local economy by providing millions of dollars in lifetime payments to local governments, benefiting schools, health care facilities, fire departments and other county services. Brittlebush created more than 300 construction jobs and will support more than five permanent jobs related to the operation and maintenance of the facility.
“Coolidge has worked hard to create a solar overlay for our community and this partnership between EDPR NA, SRP and Meta will help strengthen our economy while delivering local economic benefits and reducing emissions,” said Coolidge City Manager Rick Miller . “As more solar energy comes into our community, Coolidge will continue to receive economic benefits and be recognized as a leader in renewable energy development in Arizona.”
Through its Integrated System Plan, SRP concluded that it must at least double the number of generation resources on its energy system over the next decade to meet increasing energy demands in the Phoenix metropolitan area as it moves forward with the planned retirement of 1,300 MW. of coal reserves.
News item from EDP Renewables North America
